Joseph Smith (Presbyterian minister, born 1736)
| Joseph Smith | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1736 Cecil County, Maryland |
| Died | 1792 |
| Education | College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) |
| Spouse(s) | Esther (Cummin) Smith |
| Relatives | Joseph Smith Grandson |
| Church | Presbyterian |
Joseph Smith (1736–1792) was a prominent Presbyterian minister in Western Pennsylvania. He is one of the founders of Washington & Jefferson College.
Smith was born in Cecil County, Maryland, not far from the modern location of the Conowingo Dam.[1] He graduated from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1764 at the relatively mature age of 28.[1] He was "tall, blond, slender, and had piercing eyes" and was "emotional to a degree we do not usually associate with Englishmen."[1]
He was first licensed to preach by New Castle Presbytery and accepted a call in Brandywine, Pennsylvania.[1] He and his family moved west to Cross Creek in what is now Washington County, Pennsylvania.[1] There, he built a home and a log school called "The Study," where he taught.[1]
Smith was known as a "firery and eloquent speaker" and held days-long revivals on the high plateau at Upper Buffalo.[1] He loved reading religious materials in the original language: The Old Testament in Hebrew, the New Testament in Greek, Edward Leigh's Critica Sacra, and Pool's Synopsis.[1] It was said that he kept a cloak at the foot of his bed for use when he would spontaneously rise to pray in his bitterly cold room in the middle of the night.[1]
References
- Smith, D.D., Rev. Joseph (1858). William Buell Sprague, ed. Annals of the American Pulpit III. R. Carter and Brothers.
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